


Livin' la Vida Loki

by irishlullaby13



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, ichabbie - Freeform, tropes galore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 06:51:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9536699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irishlullaby13/pseuds/irishlullaby13
Summary: Prequel toMischievous(Rated M).It's not as easy as one would think to get two people destined to be together to actually get together.  And Loki would know, he tried.





	

**Author's Note:**

> There were requests for a prequel, therefore there is one.

They hadn't expected the third tribulation to start before they had even bothered having a toast to celebrate the demise of Pandora and the Hidden One and a toast in memory of Joey Corbin. Yet, there they were. At Mabie's, about to down a couple of beers when the karaoke mic gave ear splitting feedback in the middle of a drunk guy in a cowboy hat singing a Clarence Carter song.

The interloper was a tall, pale man dressed in a five piece suit who held himself with confidence borne of arrogance. “Quite enough of that racket,” he scoffed. The drunk man went to step up to the other man. Then man simply rolled his eyes and clicked his fingers. The drunk man doubled over in pain and within two minutes a ferret had taken his place. “Now that's out of the way... I would cordially like to request humanity hand over the Witnesses or there will be a vast amount of screaming and destruction.”

It would have gone over well except for the fact all the people in the bar had started screaming and trying to push their way out. Both Abbie and Ichabod shared a glance, put down their drinks, and were the only people to step forward toward the new comer. He grinned mischievously at them as they approached.

“That was easier than anticipated,” he stated and gave a small, disappointed, huff. He looked Abbie over appreciatively. “Goodness... have the faery folk been being naughty with the mortals again?”

“We're going to make this short and sweet,” Abbie said dryly. “Who are you and what do you want?”

The man stepped down off of the stage and took Abbie's hand, kissed it. “For a beauty such as yourself, I can be whomever you want me to be.” He released her hand and pushed his hands into his trouser pockets. “And I mean that literally, you lovely little wood nymph... I simply wished to see the faces of my opponents before wrecking havoc upon humanity.”

“That does not answer who you are,” Ichabod retorted, easing closer to Abbie. Abbie looked up at him then back at the stranger. 

The man bowed politely. “Loki, God of Mischief at your service,” he said eloquently. He looked Abbie over again. “I do believe I will be very torn whether to keep you for myself or to...” He shook his head. “No... no... I'd definitely keep you for myself.”

Abbie arched her brows and folded her arms over her chest in challenge. “Over my dead body.”

“That can be arranged, I'm not picky,” Loki said with an indifferent shrug. “Although... are you absolutely certain it is a 'no' on the—”

“It's a definite no,” Abbie dead-panned, putting a hand on Ichabod's chest when he made to move toward the god. “Just know that, whatever you have planned, you can go ahead and prepare to have it stopped.”

Loki jutted his bottom lip out in a pout. “Oh bother... aren't you even ask where your sister is?”

For a moment, Abbie felt her heart sink into the pit of her stomach. That was when Abbie remembered, Jenny was supposed to meet them here. She had thought, maybe, that Jenny was going to go do something in relation to Joe and that was what was keeping her. She pulled out her phone and quickly dialled Jenny's number. 

When it did nothing but ring, Abbie tried again. And again. After the fourth time, she closed her eyes and swallowed hard. “What have you done with Jenny?”

Loki smirked and his eyes twinkled wickedly. “Nothing... yet. See you two around then?”

Abbie's phone rang. It was Jenny. She was so relieved that she almost missed the god disappearing in a flash of blue light. “Jenny?!” Abbie exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Jenny replied quietly. “Sorry I was just...”

“Are you okay?” Abbie asked.

“Is something wrong?” Jenny asked.

Abbie closed her eyes and sighed. “Yeah. The third tribulation has already started.”

  
#  


Marvel had done nothing to prepare them for the real god of mischief. To be honest, he seemed more for the general mayhem than actually destroying anything. And when he did destroy something, it was something no one really cared about like an old bridge that the county was going to replace anyway. In fact, more than once he seemed just as surprised that the thing in question was demolished.

On the down side there had been more cases of people running down the streets to escape creatures such as dragons and chimeras than ever before. In fact, when the god actually did catch Jenny, he seemed at a loss as to what to actually do with her in his secret hide away.

Therefore, Jenny was tied to a chair and had to listen to hour long rants about the other gods and modern entertainment. She had even had to sit through a rendition of 'Livin' La Vida Loca' while he did a surprisingly good dance to it. Except, he sang it as 'Livin' la Vida Loki' which pushed Jenny to the point of wanting to snap.

“I can't take this any more, okay,” Jenny groaned. “Your version of the song makes zero sense. So please, just stop.”

The god stopped dancing and looked comically deflated. “You're just jealous you haven't got these moves.” He sighed and strode over to her. “All right. Since you can't appreciate a horrific version of a classic, I suppose I can ruffle you up for information...” He held his hands up and flexed his fingers, looking more like he was preparing to tickle her than anything.

“I will die before I tell you anything about my sister and Ichabod,” Jenny growled.

Loki's brows arched in interest. “No need to be so dramatic,” he muttered, looking her over. “Hmm... I like you,” he purred. “I only want to know one thing about the Witnesses, my feisty little flower.” Jenny sucked in a breath and held herself with an impassive air. The god knelt down in front of her, tilting his head curiously. “What is their... _deal_? I'm curious.”

Jenny laughed bitterly. “Their deal is making gods like you regret coming at humanity. I'll tell you again about what they did to the last gods that tried to take them on.”

Loki shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. “No, no, no... not that. I meant... _them_. Are they married? Dating? Just taking sport with each other?” He tilted his head slightly. “Are they open to threesomes? Because, quiet frankly, that would be a very delicious sandwich if I must say so myself.”

“What?” Jenny asked. “Are they... what?” She hadn't expected _that_. “Ew. No. No! They're just... partners. Friends. Urgh. None of that is anything I want to see in my head.” Why did...?

Loki scowled. “Huh... No kind of naughty business between them? You're sure?”

Jenny pulled a face. “Yeah, I'm sure. Why would they want to ruin their friendship by dating?”

The god rolled his eyes. “Urgh, mortals. No wonder your divorce rates are so high if you think two people that are banging their uglies together couldn't _possibly_ be friends.”

“Will you stop putting disturbing imagery in my head, thanks,” Jenny said bitterly. “Why... why do you want to know?”

“Whilst I do have a small carnal interest in both of them,” Loki stated. “They just put off the vibe of two people that should be getting dirty with each other. I mean, have you seen them together? I am a god with knowledge of things you silly mortals couldn't possibly understand. Nothing about human sexuality phases me...”

“And horses, from what I've heard,” Jenny shot back.

The god scowled at her. “It was _one time_ ,” he objected. “And it is not something I would care to do again, thank you.” He stood and smoothed down his suit. “Anyway... I just got the impression that the two of them were... consorts.”

Jenny shook her head. “Nope. They're not. And I'm pretty sure they don't want to be.”

“There are ways to find out...” Loki stated. He clapped his hands together then rubbed them vigorously with a wicked grin on his lips. “The currently scheduled tribulation has been cancelled... It's time to do something actually worth while. I never really much cared for orders given to me by the others... 'Go destroy humanity Loki. The God of Mischief would surely like to watch the world burn'. Well, what if the God of Mischief really wants to throw a kink in their plans by doing the one thing they don't want to happen?”

“No...” Jenny said. “You're _not_...”

“Oh I am...” Loki boasted. “By time I'm done, those two _will_ be consorts.”

Jenny closed her eyes and wished she could at least warn her sister.

  
#  


Just when Abbie had been getting used to the idea of Loki running amok, things turned very... weird. Like, really weird. Suddenly the 'trials' had gone from fighting hell beasts and psychotic woodland spirits to running from faeries that were trying to lure her and Ichabod to a paradise for lovers.

She still shivered when she thought about the way he had looked her over, when the faeries had dressed her up in an almost transparent yellow gown and adorned her hair with flowers. And they had stolen all of his clothing except for his thin cotton under-drawers. She was pretty sure they tried to steal those too with the way he was constantly grasping the material to make sure it was still there and casting a suspicious glare toward his “attendant.”

_“Don't you want to stay here with him forever?” one of the faeries whispered in her ear, passing Abbie a chalice full of a honey coloured liquid. Another faerie was talking to him and he looked over to her when they said something. Her heart skipped a beat when his gaze softened. “You can stay here, together, and be safe for all eternity...”_

There had been dancing and celebrations and lounging on giant rose petals. And of course all of the honey wine they could drink. If it hadn't been for hearing Jenny's voice cutting through her mind, reminding her why they had ventured into the realm in the first place, they probably _would have_ stayed.

She could vaguely remember dancing with Ichabod and the two of them were getting dangerously close to one another. Then she could recall a voice gleefully proclaiming, “Isn't this much more preferable to a silly apocalypse?” that caused a metaphorical record screech in their heads.

But Abbie still had that dress. And the flowers took root in her garden, despite the snow outside. The faeries also still had the outfit Ichabod had worn into the realm and had refused to give it back.

And now... now they were trapped in a tiny, vertical tunnel, pressed against each other way too intimately as Abbie tried to reach the opening that was just out of Ichabod's reach. Had it been back when they first met, she probably would have had him give her a polite boost. He may have apologized for having to grab her ass to get her up there. He probably would have apologized again later and then again in the morning for having to manhandle her and he would have continued to apologize for the next few days.

But at they knew each other too well by now. She was on her knees, on his shoulders, front of her jeans all in his face, his hands grasping her ass and trying to push her up enough that she could actually stand on his shoulders. Instead she ended up contorted into a position that made her all too aware of his hot breath between her legs, penetrating the thick denim.

Abbie closed her eyes and tried to block the word 'penetrate' from her vocabulary for a minute, until they could make it out. “Almost there, Crane,” she said, somewhat breathlessly. _In more ways than one_ , she added to herself when she made the mistake of accidentally looking at him. “Crane.”

His eyes popped open and his head fell back against the wall. “One more push should do it,” he offered.

Her face burned when one of his hands went to the back of her knee and other to a spot that was decidedly _not_ her ass, although she was pretty sure that's what he had been aiming for. With one healthy push, she was able to get her feet on his shoulders and wriggle her way out of the gap. The rope they had used to climb down, thinking they were after some kind of magical item, was sitting there in a tidy coil. The end of the rope raised up as though it were a curious snake, peering at her. 

When it saw her, it started uncoiling and scooting away. “Oh no you don't,” Abbie groused and dove on top of it. “This is the last time I buy an enchanted anything without asking what it's enchanted to do.” The rope wriggled around, trying to escape. “ _Prohibere_.”

Immediately the squirming rope went flaccid in her hands. Within minutes, Crane was with her, back on solid ground. They lay on the ground, next to each other, laughing and covered with mud. The rope regained its mobility and whirled around them playfully. Then not so playfully, it tightened around them, drawing them close to each other.

Shortly thereafter they were struggling against each other, trying to get free. “ _Prohibere! Prohibere!” they both shouted, but it had already tied itself into a knot around both of their waists and wrists. To say it was embarrassing for her dad to find her and Ichabod bound up in such a precarious manner would have been an understatement.  
_

  
#  


Jenny eyed the god of mischief over her cards. “I told you,” she laughed. “Just friends.”

Loki shook his head. “I'm not buying it for even the smallest of moments, Jennifer,” he huffed. “Those two want to rip each other's clothes off and do the naughty thing.”

Jenny shook her head. “You sure that's not just wishful thinking on your part?”

“I am certain, without any doubts, that those two should and want to be shagging,” Loki replied. He peered at his cards. “What is even the point of this silly game?”

“I don't even remember what game we were playing,” Jenny said. “Was it 'poker' or 'go fish'?”

Loki sighed with exasperation. “Mortals...”

“Just friends,” Jenny chimed.

  
#  


“This is bullshit.”

“I must say I am inclined to agree,” Crane replied.

“What kind of idiot drags their prisoners past rows of empty cells, proclaims they're reserved, then shoves two people in a cell so tiny it's only big enough for a bed?” Abbie groused. If she were to be honest, it looked like he had literally just thrown an iron gate over a closet and called it a cell. There was, maybe, a foot of space at the end of the bed to stand in and that was it.

It wouldn't raise any questions if the bed had been a thin, dirty mattress, full of holes, had no kind of bedding, and was in the same space as the other cells. But no, the bed was actually quite comfy and soft, had silky sheets, and the cell was inside of a room with its own door. The room was adorned with dozens of candles, glowing softly in otherwise darkness.

“He did say he had reserved a special place in hell for us,” Crane commented wryly. 

“Oh haha,” Abbie grumbled and plopped down on the bed. “Assuming he plans to feed us, we can overpower the person that brings the food and escape.”

To their surprise, Loki did send them food. However, the person delivering it was a great big, hulking Minotaur armed with a huge ass axe. He opened a compartment on the iron door and shoved in two trays laden with various items. One was laden with raw oysters on ice, crackers, figs drizzled with honey, chocolate dipped bananas and strawberries, fresh whipped cream, and pomegranates. The other tray held a couple of glasses and a bottle of red wine. Despite it being a really weird assortment, it was better than nothing Abbie supposed.

After the Minotaur left they tried to figure out the logistics of how they were supposed to eat in such a confined space. They finally realized it worked best if they sat at the head of the bed with the trays in front of them, Abbie in Crane's lap, him holding the glasses of wine, and Abbie picking items off of the tray to feed both herself and Crane.

Abbie wrinkled her nose at the oysters but Crane sucked them down like it was going out of style. She settled in between Crane's knees and leaned back against him so they could enjoy their wine. “You know, take away the iron door and this is almost... romantic,” Crane commented.

“Mmm, yeah, it is,” Abbie hummed. “Silk sheets, candlelight, wine... Just a shame if I had any of the oysters my throat would swell up like a...” Maybe it was the wine talking but suddenly a thought occurred to her and she handed Crane her glass. “I have an idea... kiss me.” 

Crane cocked a brow and drained the contents of his glass in one gulp. “I'm afraid I do not understand, Lieutenant.”

“The cross contamination might cause me to have an allergic reaction and you can call for help. Jenny should have an epipen... if we can find her that is,” Abbie commented. They had seen Jenny, earlier, tied to a chair in one of the cells. Chances are they could bust her out, make use of the epipen, and then get Abbie to the ER to make sure she was going to be okay. Her allergy was bad but it wasn't bad enough to kill her. She reasoned she would be mostly fine with just a little cross contamination.

“The risk is dreadfully calculated,” Crane murmured. 

“Do you want to kiss me or not?” Abbie asked with annoyance. It occurred to her that maybe she should have said 'Are you going to kiss me' instead.

Crane brought the empty glass to his lips and then put it down when he discovered there was nothing left in it. Scowling, he looked at the glass in his other hand then drained it of its contents as well. “Yes I do... will.”

“For the record I find it offensive that you had to polish off two glasses of wine to be okay with kissing me,” Abbie teased, straddling his lap.

He gave her a lopsided grin. “For courage, I assure you Lieutenant.”

“God, you're such a lush,” Abbie laughed, putting her hands on either side of his face. Crane put his hands on her hips. A small sound rumbled in her chest when she took in the warmth and softness of his lips on hers. His hands slid to her ass, grabbed firmly, and pulled her closer as their mouths opened and they explored at their own leisure.

Abbie slipped her fingers through his hair then gripped the soft strands gently. Crane moaned loudly as the kiss deepened. One of his hands drifted up to the small of her back, underneath her shirt. There was something immensely satisfying about the thought Crane might be the type to get noisy in bed.

_You're getting ahead of yourself girl, it's just a kiss_ , she thought. _A kiss to get them out of this place..._

The longer it lasted, the more heated they became. He cradled the back of her neck in the hand that kept drifting around, she rocked against him, making him groan again just for the hell of it. Then next she knew, her back was against the mattress and Crane gently tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth before softly sucking on it.

He ground against her as his lips drifted to her jaw and neck. Abbie sucked in a deep breath and sighed softly, her mouth and tongue tingling at the loss of— _shit shit shit_. “Cwane... Cwane...” she said frantically, smacking his shoulder. “Tongue is thelling up, tongue eeth thwelling...”

He lifted his head and looked at her with lust addled confusion. His eyes widened and he dashed to the iron gate. “Help! Help! My friend is having some sort of reaction... She is in need of medical attention!”

  
#  


Loki pursed his lips in concentration as he eyed the younger Mills sister. “You could have warned me she was mildly allergic.”

Jenny arched a brow. “I warned you the oysters would not be a good idea. My sister is just desperate enough to eat one to get out of a situation she doesn't want to be in.” She waved her hand toward the chessboard in front of her. “You going to move or brood over the fact I'm right?”

He moved his piece and captured one of her knights. “I am not _brooding_. Those two would be entangled in a writhing heap of ecstasy right now if you had been straightforward in telling me.”

“She wasn't in any danger because she avoids shellfish at all costs,” Jenny said with a shrug, moving her piece. “Check.” She folded her arms on the table and peered at him. “You should just give up and go back to actually trying to fight them. It'd be less frustrating.”

Loki captured the piece that had him in check. “What of _you_ , Jennifer?” he asked with a cocky smirk. “Is there a lucky young man or woman in which you have entangled yourself with? Or am I free to pursue you without having to fight off others?”

Her eyes flashed dangerously and she sat back in her seat, folding her arms over her chest. “I don't want to play any more,” she said quietly then vacated her seat to wander off to the kitchen. 

Loki stood and followed after her. He paused in the arched doorway and leaned against the jamb. “It's rather selfish of you to not want your sister to have love because you've been unlucky. And I should know, I am the king of selfishness.”

Jenny pulled the milk carton from the refrigerator and drank directly from it, then licked around the spout. “No, that's being selfish,” she said when he pulled a face. “Don't act like you know me just because you've been holding me prisoner and we've played a few friendly games.” She put the carton back in the refrigerator. “They don't want to get together.”

  
#  


Jesus. This had to be the worst. And by worst Abbie meant the best.

It wasn't every day Witness duties brought her to an extravagant resort, all expenses paid—thank you FBI—to investigate a possible demon preying on guests. The issue was... it was exclusively a couples only retreat. And since it was Official Witness Duties™, that meant there was only one option for who the other half of the couple was.

On one hand, luxurious massages with lotions, potions, herbs, and oils that made her skin so soft _she_ didn't want to stop touching it. On the other hand, she was getting massaged by Crane because they had signed up for “Sensuous Massage” classes. She didn't want to say praise the Lord but, damn she was glad one of the victims had been in the classes.

The hardest part was that there was literally nothing she could do about the effects of the “sensuous” aspect after the class was done for the day. Why? Because their “bungalow” was one spacious area. The only thing that had walls was the toilet, which was tucked into a closet just big enough to do your business. It didn't exactly garner the ideal environment to give herself some relief.

They at least provided those fancy silk space dividers to at least give a little privacy when she took a bath or shower—and after the first day there, she learned to do so at night because, according to a very flustered Crane, the sunlight did not offer much in regards to privacy.

But she had to hand it to him, he was damn good as giving massages, she always felt like a limp noodle after the class. A limp noodle that really wanted to be massaged in a sensuous place. Tomorrow they got to change places at least.

“Don't be afraid to give her kisses along the spine,” the instructor, a petite blonde woman in white yoga pants and a bright pink tank top, said. “Mister Crane, you could also feel free to move your hands further up her thighs.” Abbie wondered what kind of horrified expression he got because the instructor laughed. “Trust me, even if you were a certified masseuse you would be getting your hands further up than you're currently going. Don't be scared just because I'm here. Touch is a very intricate part of making sure you have a good connection to your wife. And touching on and near certain places can make her an eager lover.”

“Yeah, Ichabod,” Abbie crowed with amusement. “What she said.” In hindsight she probably shouldn't have taunted him like that, because a few seconds and an indignant huff later, Crane's hand glided between her thighs and—having actually received a professional massage once—his fingers strayed much closer than they should have.

She yelped and nearly choked on a moan, he froze. She imagined his eyes were the size of serving trays. Crane snatched his hand away. The instructor laughed merrily. “Maybe it would prove best for the two of you to continue practising somewhere you're _both_ more comfortable?” the instructor suggested. 

“Yeah! Yes, that would be...” Abbie said quickly, sitting up and making sure to keep everything covered that needed to be covered. 

“Absolutely wondrous idea,” Crane added, averting his gaze. He took avid interest in his coat, laying on a nearby chair and then pulled it on without bothering to unroll his shirt sleeves. Abbie pulled the robe she had worn to the class on and cinched it closed. Together they scurried out of the private classroom and to the elevator.

Once closed inside, they didn't look at each other, just straight ahead. After a moment, Crane swallowed hard and his fingers flicked nervously. “Just so you are aware. It was not my intent to...”

“I figured as much,” Abbie interrupted briskly. “Accidents happen. Don't mention it again. Understood, Captain?”

“Understood perfectly, Lieutenant.”

A few hours later, they discovered that their instructor was the demon they had been searching for.

  
#  


“What the hell is wrong with those two?” Loki raged, flipping a table. He kicked a basketball, which ricochetted off the wall and pegged him right in the crotch. Jenny pointed at laughed when he doubled over in pain.

“I keep telling you, they don't see each other like that,” Jenny said with a smirk. “Seriously, you are better off just going back to doing what the other gods ordered.”

“You seriously believe the world is better descending into complete apocalyptic mayhem than for those two to realize they love are _in love with each other_?” Loki squeaked, flailing his arms. “Do you not realize how insane that is?”

Jenny shrugged. “Not like you would win anyway.”

Loki strode over to her. He turned a chair backwards and straddled the seat. “Tell me, Jennifer. I must know. Why are you acting like their realizing their feelings would be the worst thing possible?”

“What are you, my shrink now?” Jenny scoffed. She folded her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. “Look, even though you've reduced it to fun and games, you're just the third of seven tribulations they're going to face. Odds are favourable only one or neither of them will make it through to the end.”

It finally occurred to Loki what Jenny's _deal_ was. “How long were the two of you together before they died?”

Jenny stared at him in stony silence. “Not long. We were childhood friends.” She pressed her lips into a thin, tight line. “What? You're not going to leap to your feet and go 'Ha!' and give me some smug proclamation that my whole 'lovers can't be friends' thing is hypocritical?”

Loki rested his chin on the back of his chair. “No. That would defeat the purpose of listening to you.” He arched a brow. “No one has taken time to listen to you have they? They haven't really taken time to hear how you've been affected by your loss.”

“It's not like I can exactly go to a therapist and say 'Oh, my windego boyfriend was physically manipulated by an ancient god and couldn't turn back human so I had to shoot him',” Jenny scoffed. “I'd get locked back up in Tarrytown. I don't want to burden Abbie with it. She'd blame herself.”

“Were you happy with him during those few months?” Loki asked.

Jenny nodded gently. “I was. I mean, we had our problems but... I was happy.” She looked away and swallowed hard. She rubbed her arms as if to warm them. “And then he was gone.”

“You did what you had to do, Jennifer,” Loki said quietly. “And just because your happiness may end badly is no reason to not try to be happy while you can. If you could change one thing before it happened, what would you have done differently? You, personally. What would Jennifer Mills had done that she didn't do the first time?”

She was quiet a long moment, then rubbed her eyes with one hand and sniffled lightly. “I would have told him that I loved him,” she said, her voice cracking softly. “So how much do I owe you for your time? Sixty bucks per half hour?”

Loki blinked as he suddenly realized what he needed to do. “Jennifer. Dare I say it, you are a genius!”

  
#  


Abbie panted heavily as she rounded the corner, brandishing her gun. The demon's back was to her, it was holding Crane up in the air by his throat. She discharged three rounds into the demon and it dropped Crane, shrieked, then clamoured away into the shadows. “Are you all right?” she asked, tucking her gun into its holster.

She knelt down to help Crane sit up. He gasped for air and rubbed his neck. “I shall survive,” he croaked. He pulled his hand away and looked at blood on his fingers.

“Did it scratch you?” Abbie asked.

“I believe the blood may have come from when it threw me across the cavern,” Crane said lightly, his eyes travelling to a rip in her sleeve. “What of you, Lieutenant? Are you well?”

She knew there would be dire consequences if getting scratched occurred. What those consequences were, she had yet to find out. First they had to find out what kind of demon it was. It had several victims so far, but only one fatality. They were still trying to figure out what the common denominator between the survivors was and why the one went insane then died.

“I'm fine,” she said sternly, knowing damn well it had scratched her when she had been fighting with it.

Once Crane was back on his feet, the two of them moved toward the exit to the cavern. In a flash of blue-white light, Loki stood before them. “Giving up so easily?” he cackled. His eyes went to Crane's neck and then to the rip on her sleeve. “Did my pet scratch you?”

“She did not, which means we shall live to fight another day,” Crane huffed.

“Oh good. Like I said, there are most dreadful consequences if she had.” His thin lips pulled into a teasing smirk. “And it would put a big dampener upon your desire to live to fight another day. But that's _only_ if she had. But fortunately I know how to save your lives.”

Loki cackled joyously once again and disappeared.

“We got to find Jenny and get out of here,” Abbie said sternly. 

“What of your injury, Lieutenant?”

Abbie licked her lips. “Doesn't matter. Let's do this. Just remind me to get a tetanus shot when we're done.” Even though he probably had no idea what a tetanus shot was, she knew he probably associated it with being necessary for her continued health. Crane nodded firmly and she knew once they were done he would remind her. They eyed the split in the cavern. “We should split up. If you run out of places to go, retrace your steps and come back here.”

Again Crane nodded and they went their separate ways. Crane was unsure of how far he had wandered into the cavern when a flash of blue caught his attention and he whirled around to face the god of mischief. Loki clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “You silly witnesses. Trying to be so bold and brave and trying to deny that my pet scratched you. Funny considering you will die if you don't get proper help.”

“Where are you keeping Miss Jenny?” Crane asked.

Loki nodded down the cavern. “Go down another forty paces or so there will be a cavern to your left, take it. She's in a makeshift cell not too far down.” He cocked his head. “Now about that scratch...”

“A witness must not be afraid to face certain death,” Crane replied.

“Even if the solution is as simple as confessing your affections for your fellow witness?” Loki asked. “When your modern medicines fail to save you—and they will—would you be so stubborn as to keep your feelings to yourself?”

Crane felt a fluttering in his stomach. “A confession of love should not be a matter of life and death.”

“Yes, but, would it be something you would willingly take to your grave if it could so easily save your life?”

“All I have to do is tell her?” Crane asked.

Loki scoffed. “Oh it's not _that_ easy but it would certain get things started,” he bound closer to Crane and leaned in close. “But imagine this... waking up tomorrow morning with her in your arms, the sun casting a golden glow upon her beautiful, soft, brown skin... after a night of ecstasy. Her delicate feminine scent tickling your senses and filling your heart and soul with complete and utter peace—because I have no doubt she smells absolutely divine up close.”

Crane nodded. “She does,” he admitted with a sigh of longing. 

“What _is_ that scent she wears? It is... _intoxicating_.”

Crane searched his memory for a moment. “Cocoa butter for her feet and an unscented lotion for the rest of her skin. Depending on what day it is, it's either argon or olive oil conditioner for her hair...”

“No perfumes?” Loki asked in surprise. Crane shook his head. “Good gods... I do love a natural woman...”

“And horses from what I hear,” Crane quipped. 

Loki huffed indignantly. “That was _one time_ ,” he shouted. “And I was the victim! I ended up pregnant because of that. Why does _everyone_ insist upon bringing that up?” 

And with that Loki disappeared again. Crane shook his head and sighed heavily then went in the direction Loki had indicated. Much to his surprise the god had not mislead him and, in no time, Jenny was free and they were hurrying to try and find Abbie. And, thankfully, Miss Jenny knew precisely where to find her. Crane chose not to question how Jenny knew the multitudes of twists and turns inside the cavern that brought them into a large opening with the sun blazing in through a gap in the stone, shining down on what looked like a castle constructed of massive stalagmites. 

Two massive doors opened as they approached, permitting them entry. Jenny looked around then pointed. “Throne room. That's his favourite place,” she spouted and dashed toward a heavy wooden door on the far side of the foyer. Crane followed.

Try as they might, they could not get the door to budge open. Jenny slapped her hand against the door. “Loki! Open the damn door right now!”

“No! You'll ruin all my fun,” they could hear the god say on the other side. “Like you ruined that roast I worked so hard on preparing last night.”

Jenny rolled her eyes and huffed with irritation. “Now is not the time for this, Loki! Freya is coming for your ass. She is _pissed_. They are _all_ pissed.”

Crane wondered if he had missed something vital. “Why would one of the other gods be angry with Loki if he is following their bidding?” 

“Either shut up and help me bust down the door or get out of my way.” Jenny shot him a sour look then took a few paces back to kick at the door. Crane chose to assist her. After a few tries, Jenny rapped hard on the door. “Open the damn door Loki!”

Three more tries and the door burst open with surprising ease and the Mills sisters were reunited with an eager embrace. Jenny held Abbie at arms length and looked around. “Where's Loki?”

Abbie shook her head. “He... disappeared,” she said distractedly, her eyes finding Crane before returning to Jenny. “Why would you want to know where he is anyway?”

Jenny closed her eyes and shook her head. “It's complicated. But, that doesn't matter. He wasn't doing what the gods wanted him to do so now they're pissed and coming after him.”

“Well good, maybe now we can get some peace,” Abbie groused.

“No!” Jenny exclaimed then groaned. “The gods want you two dead. Very dead. I mean, yeah, at first he was all for it but then he... you know what. It's not important. The important thing is he doesn't want you guys dead and so the gods are pissed at him and want to kill him then you guys.”

“The sun is rapidly declining Miss Jenny, I doubt we shall manage to locate him before nightfall...” Crane pointed out.

Abbie nodded in agreement. “He's a crafty guy, he'll figure something out to keep himself out of harms way until morning...” She sucked in a deep breath and cast a glance toward Crane once again. “—and we can regroup to try and find him.”

After dropping Miss Jenny off at the cabin—where she had started staying after Joe's passing—a heavy silence prickled between the two witnesses as they made their journey home.

  
#  


_Fwump_ “Stupid god,” Jenny grumbled, grabbing the punching bag to make it stop swinging around. She took a couple of steps back then hit it with a right left combo and a roundhouse. The sound of a knock distracted her enough that the bag swung her way and nearly knocked her over. After stilling the bag she moved toward the door with a perplexed look.

She glanced out the window and saw no one. Not even a car. Yet another knock, loud and clear sounded at the door. Jenny sighed and groaned as she snatched the door open. The fathomless darkness in front of her shift as Loki stepped into the cabin, removing the dark cloak. He waited until she closed the door and scowled at him to grin wickedly.

“Were you worried about me, my dove?” Loki asked.

Jenny pursed her lips and stared hard at him for a long moment before moving toward him to hug his neck. “Yes, yes I was! You asshole.” Once he released her from the hug she gave his shoulder a hearty shove. “I hate you.”

“No you don't,” Loki chuckled then kissed the tip of her nose. “Now that you have properly scolded me...” He pulled a cell phone from his pocket. “I need to know how to keep my number from being seen by the witnesses whilst I taunt them throughout the night.”

“Oh my God,” Jenny groaned. “It's not going to work, Loki. Not to mention, the other gods are after you right now!”

“Pfft,” Loki scoffed. “There are more important things to see to than those lot.”

Jenny sighed and held out her hand. “Let me see it.” She went to work on trying to fix all his settings and doing a few lo-jacks. “Lord knows if I don't, I won't get any damn sleep tonight.” 

Loki gave her a flirtatious wink. “Didn't plan on letting you get any sleep either way.”

  
#  


“Good night, Lieutenant.”

“Good night, Crane.”

They stared at each other a long moment, wondering if the other was going to say anything more than an affectionate good night. Since arriving home, they had both been a little jumpy. Dropping things when the other said their name, wondering if there was a confession of love heading their way. The feeling of disappointment when it didn't come and they were left with broken glass on the floor or in the sink.

Neither felt safe operating the stove so they ordered take away. _Less for Jenny to have to worry about cleaning up once they were dead_ , Abbie couldn't help but wonder. 

Then both had retreated to their respective bathrooms to take one last hot shower, to make sure they were properly groomed and ready to be lain to rest. Then they wondered if the other really was telling the truth, that they hadn't been scratched. Both ultimately decided to refrain from saying anything. After their good nights, Crane did something he normally did not and took Abbie's hand in his own then softly kissed the back of her hand and pressed his cheek to her knuckles. “Good night again, Lieutenant. Until morning.”

Abbie nodded shakily, doing her best to keep from crying. “Until morning.”

They then went their separate ways, only to toss and turn restlessly in their beds. It wasn't until Crane heard the gentle shuffle of Abbie plundering the kitchen that he was able to force himself to lie still as death itself. He pretended to sleep when the laundry room light clicked on. Even with his eyes closed he could see the disruption of her tiny form against the light.

Before he could fully wonder what could bring her into his room at such an hour, she was whispering a soft 'I love you' and pressed her lips to his.

And he was done denying his affections.

  
#  


Jenny cracked open an eye when she heard humming come from the cabin kitchen. She reached for Loki's phone to see what kind of mischief he had been up to while she slept. She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she crawled out of the bed. Padding into the living space of the cabin she asked, “You do realize they know the gods are after you now right? In fact we were going to look for you this morning.”

She looked up and nearly died when she saw him wearing nothing but a 'Kiss the cook' apron while cooking breakfast. “And you had better be humming the Ricky Martin song and not your dumb parody.”

“Like you would be able to tell a difference,” Loki said with a tiny huff. He beamed happily as he dumped an omelette onto a plate and placed it on the table. “A hearty breakfast for my lover.”

Half way through breakfast, Jenny received a text from Abbie that her and Crane would be over to go over the game plan to find Loki. Jenny responded for them to take their time because Loki was at the cabin with her. They didn't turn up until almost three in the afternoon, claimed they had run into some things at the Archives—to explained their slightly dishevelled state, even though Jenny hadn't asked or even wondered why they looked dishevelled.

It wasn't until she watched the two of them putting together a light afternoon snack that Jenny noticed their flirt game had stepped it up quite a few notches. Crane nudged Abbie with his hip when she bent over to get something out of the fridge, Abbie swatted his backside in retaliation. They both shared glanced that could only be described as...

“God damn it Loki,” Jenny snapped. The god cackled with delight.

“I _told you_.” He laughed tauntingly. “Looks like someone owes me a month's worth of household cleaning.”

“You don't have anywhere to live anymore, dummy.”

“What's going on?” Abbie asked hesitantly, both of the witnesses eyeing Loki and Jenny suspiciously.

“You don't want to know,” Jenny grumbled.


End file.
